Basic Concept of Environmental Risk Assessment

Rapid growth and expansion of the chemical and energy industries have led to an increase in chemical emissions and the potential for accidents, such as fires, explosions, and spills. These potential consequences have caused concern among industries and regulators, leading to an interest in understanding the risks associated with these emissions into the environment and accidents. This knowledge is crucial for complying with laws and regulations as well as for reducing adverse effects on human health and the environment. Consequently, this chapter intends to introduce readers to the Environmental Risk Assessment and the steps that should be accounted for the successful results, representing an important study on understanding the risks and minimizing the negative effects as much as possible. The first part of the chapter is dedicated to presenting specific knowledge on Risk and Hazard, evidencing differences between the two terms. The second section emphasizes the value of human health risk assessment in determining the potential effects of a hazard on the health of an individual, a group of individuals, or a community, while simultaneously outlining the steps that must be taken for the Ecological Risk Assessment.